Young people should be encouraged to act within the law when downloading music over the internet, culture secretary Andy Burnham has said.
Speaking at a Broadcasting Press Guild event in London, Mr Burnham said he was reluctant to "criminalise" young people who had just got used to exploring music in a new way.
He also outlined plans to reach an international consensus on the issue.
He said: "Our preferred approach here is that we encourage and incentivise behaviour back within a legal context."
Speaking about the Government's Digital Britain report, Mr Burnham said: "The likelihood is that legislation will have to follow in fairly short order."
He went on to say that the Government's plans for universal broadband would have "massive implications for the way we live... the way we work".
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